Hilltop Cafe

How far will one travel for food? Well, I guess it really depends on the eats doesn't it? Also, we are not referring to traveling to other cities and countries either. Now most people would immediately discount Langley as a culinary destination due to its distance from Downtown Vancouver. However, has anyone ever considered where people out in the burbs eat then? It's not like everyone can just hop in a car and make the trek out to Vancouver you know. Also, there must be good eats if you look hard enough. So lost among the plethora of chain restaurants in Langley, we find ourselves at
Hilltop Cafe. What? Yes, this little ol' unassuming diner out on Fraser Highway was an intended food adventure. Why? Well, there are several reasons. First, it is a diner. I love diners and this was is an actual diner which has been around for 65 years (however, it just changed hands recently). So the prices are good and the food is honest. Second, it is out in Langley. For me, I think good food can be found anywhere and Langley gets no foodie love. Third, they have something known affectionately as the Everest Burger. If climbing the mountain is considered tough, eating this burger may test ones' will, desire and intestinal fortitude. It's $20.00 of pure gluttony.

Ah zut! It was not meant to be... They can't do the Everest Burger during proper lunch hours because it takes up the entire grill. It is only available during non-peak hours. That only means one thing. I need to make the trek out here again just for that! So a bit dejected, I had to settle on the Chili Burger instead. With 2 large handmade beef patties smothered in obscene amount of chili and served open-faced, this was a mountain of food in itself. The beef patty was very meaty; yet on the drier side. However, the large amount of chili helped moisten the entire burger. As for the chili itself, it was hearty and quite mild. The banana peppers on top added a kick to it though. The fresh cut fries were thin and very crispy. Not much in the way of potato texture left; but I liked them nonetheless.

Hot Mama had the Classic Burger and as evidenced in the picture, all of the ingredients from the thick sliced tomato to the grilled onions were fresh and top-notch. The warm bun was soft while strong enough to stand up to the filling. She quite enjoyed her food and thought it was reasonably-priced. Ma went for the blue plate special which consisted of a BLT and choice of soup. The sandwich was solid. The toast was perfect while the ingredients were similarly as good as the burger. As simple as it is, everything was there: thick fresh-cut tomato, fresh crisp lettuce and crispy bacon. The side of tomato soup was creamy and well-balanced. Not too tart, not too sweet nor too salty.

Whenever there is Poutine on the menu, it is a given we'll try it and it looked promising when it arrived. The gravy was flavourful and just the right consistency. The "cheese curds" were not exactly so; but I give it to them they did not use shredded mozzarella. Although we loved the crispy thin fries on their own, they did not exactly work in the poutine. A thicker cut fry that could soak up the gravy a bit more would've been texturally more pleasing. Another sandwich at our table was the Clubhouse. Do you know what irks me the most about some clubhouse sandwiches? If you answered chicken deli meat, you get a gold star! As you can clearly see, the chicken meat is real, plentiful and house made. Add in real cheddar, crisp lettuce, the same fresh tomato and perfectly toasted bread, we have a solid clubhouse.

Now afterwards, we really couldn't leave without pie... It does say "the home of famous pies". Well, then again, we have places saying they have the "best coffee" and "best pizza" as well. Usually, there is usually as much truth in those statements as proclaiming Richmond has the "best drivers"... But hey, the pie is decent here. Ma had the Peach Pie a la mode. The crust was really flaky and somewhat moist. I would've preferred for it to be little drier; but I'm being picky here. The pie was pretty solid, not too sweet or wet either. The ice cream was fantastic being hard and creamy. However, the Banana Cream Pie was even better. I'm normally not fond of anything banana in a dessert; but this one was pretty good. The crust on this one was drier (due to filling not being baked with the crust) while the filling was very flavourful and sweet (maybe a touch too sweet). We particularly liked the layer of bananas at the bottom.

Now, you probably would've guessed that I was pretty choked that I didn't get a chance to try the Everest Burger. So it was only fitting that I made the trek out to Hilltop again. To tackle this burger monstrosity, I needed someone that loves meat and had a big appetite - Mijune. So what does $20.00 get you in a burger? Try 4-5oz beef patties, baked ham, cheddar cheese, mozza cheese, bacon, farmer's sausage, sauteed mushrooms & onions, lettuce, tomato, pickle and mayo served with a mound of fresh cut fries. So let's cut to the chase here. This is what you call a novelty item. People will order this just for the shock value; rather than really wanting to put their heart and stomach through torture. With that being said, there were some really good components here at work. First, the fries were even better than last time. They were very crisp and fresh-tasting. As for the burger itself, it is definitely a fork & knifer. The patties were homemade and very meaty. They weren't particularly moist or juicy; but they weren't incredibly dry either. I really enjoyed the farmer's sausage. It was meaty, easy on the fat and flavourful without being salty. On the other hand, the bacon could've been more crisp.

Of course we couldn't only have one item, despite its size. So we also tried the Sausage Benny. Essentially a classic eggs benny with the substitution of housemade sausage, we found this to be quite good. The eggs were poached perfectly while the sausage was meaty, not fatty and easy on the seasoning. I found the Hollandaise to be rather sweet and lacking in lemon; but it was still okay. Believe it or not the hashbrowns were the star of this plate. It consisted of smashed potatoes which had been panfried until crispy. So there were parts that resembled mash potatoes intermingled with chunks of whole potatoes. They were well-seasoned which made them some of the best non-typical hashbrowns I've had in awhile. Of course a meal with Mijune would not be complete without dessert. Thus, we did the pie thing again. This time, we shared a slice of Coconut Cream Pie. It is basically the same as the banana cream pie except with coconut. Thus, it was pretty solid with tonnes of coconut in and on top of the pie. I would've liked some of the toasted slivers to be drier to give some crunch. Once again, the filling was good; yet really sweet.

Now one slice of pie would not be enough right? So enter the second slice being the Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie a la mode. Again, it came with the fantastic hard vanilla ice cream. We inquired about the brand and it turns out they use Mountain Dairy out of Abbotsford. It was really good! Anyways, the pie filling was quite tart. No matter, I like it tart, so it suited me just fine. In fact, there was more filling than crust. The crust was almost an afterthought, which again, suited me just fine because I like filling more than crust. About that crust... Just like the peach pie, the crust was wetter than I would've liked; but it's forgivable due to the amount of filling. Okay, after 2 visits, it is clear to me that the Hilltop Cafe has character. From the staff to the decor down to the food, it is not just your run-of-the-mill diner wannabees. This is a full-fledged diner. Of course it is located pretty far out in Langley; but if you are in the neighbourhood, it is a great place to grab a bite to eat (or a large one if you go for the Everest).

The Good:
- Staff that care
- Real diner decor, not the "modernized" diner look
- The food ain't gonna win any awards; but it is solid nonetheless

The Bad:
- Was featured in the movie the "Butterfly Effect" (yah, I'm stretching here for a bad...)

Mountain Shadow Inn

The Mountain Shadow Inn... Wow... I haven't seen you in ages! 15+ years in fact... I still remember the cheap burger and brew deals which really hit the spot after a long day listening to boring lectures. The carefree days where we could schedule all of our classes into 3 days and have 2 off to do... whatever! Stay out really late... on a Wednesday night! Spend all of my hard earned money on my... car... Completing 25 page essays the night before... Okay, back to reality. Those days are long gone and so are the cheap burgers. I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to return. What makes it even stranger is that the Mountain Shadow Inn is only a stone's throw away. Well, it is finally time to revisit an ol' friend and just like an ol' friend, it hasn't changed much.
Like a winter chalet of sorts, the place has its charm.

We started with the Calamari and unlike many typical versions, this one was very flavourful since it was marinated in lime, ginger and cilantro. It was crisp and peppery exhibiting a slight chew while still being easy to eat. The flavour quotient was further raised with the chili aioli. There were a lot of flavours going on here and we really liked the heat. Initially, I was in no mood for a burger since I've had so many in the past couple of weeks. My appetite and health were not too anxious for more greasy meat. However, when no one decided to go for a burger, I had to take the hit. C'mon, it's a pub! I got to try the burger! And especially one that was so tasty according to the description. The Peppercorn Burger boasted a peppercorn dressing with pepper jack cheese, bacon and an onion ring on top. When the darn thing arrived, it was massive. I was pleasantly surprised at the use of a brioche bun considering the venue. I love brioche and that suited me fine. One bite into the burger revealed a peppery sauce that leaked all over the place. Perfect, that's how a burger should be - messy. With all of the aforementioned ingredients, the burger had flavour and lots of it. I got spice, sweet, savoury and smokiness in every bite. The meat itself wasn't dry nor juicy; but the abundance of ingredients and sauce made the burger moist. Very satisfying indeed. As a substitution, I got the Poutine. This was an okay poutine with crisp fries and gravy. However, the cheese was all melted and it was not cheese curds.

Viv had the Braised Beef Shortrib Sandwich consisting of 5-hour braised beef, truffle oil and Swiss cheese on a French baguette. Although the shortrib was moist and tender, I found it to be somewhat lost in the dense baguette. However, this was somewhat alleviated by the "beef dip" type of presentation. But then, the dip made it soggy. I guess there was no middle ground. At the end, I would've preferred the sandwich to be just a sandwich with maybe a softer or airier bread. She got Yam Fries as a substitution and they were not as crisp as I would've liked them to be. Rounding out the dishes at the table were the Steak Sandwich and Pulled Pork Sandwich. Usually, a steak sandwich is a steak sandwich. Nothing incredibly interesting really. However, this one was prepared well. The steak was tender and cooked beautifully. Furthermore, the fried onions on top really added texture and a level of sweetness. As for the pulled pork sandwich, it was surprisingly good as well. The meat was properly sauced and thus not being dry. The sauce itself was more on the sweet tangy side rather than being smoky.

Surprising. That's how I would categorize this latest visit to the Mountain Shadow Inn. Although I have always remembered that the food here was decent, I really liked how they changed up the menu to include some interesting items. I wouldn't say the food was anything that would win any culinary awards; but for a pub, this is more than acceptable. Also, the prices are reasonable for what you get. My only other wish is to relive my youth again since the places brings back memories. Wait. Much like the Pepsi commercial, I think I'll just stay in present time. It seems to be working for me...

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Solid eats all around
- Service we got was good

The Bad:
- Menu is a bit limited

Mongo Bongo

Trying to eat slightly healthier is not as easy as it sounds. Yah, yah, I know there is salad; but honestly... The chances of me eating a salad for lunch are as good as Lady Gaga trying to cover herself up. Although that meat dress did look appetizing in a beef carpaccio-kinda of way... So the usual choices other than salads, sandwiches and wraps are the less-bad-for-you sushi or soup noodles. However, there is another popular option that I will group into one - grilled-to-order food such as U-Grill, Kojo Japanese and many variations of Mongolian Grill. Now, I used to like U-Grill until I looked at what I got for the price. When merely placing veggies on my plate and then realizing that it will ultimately cost me $15.00, then it seems like a rip-off. I'd much rather take my chances at the predetermined ingredients at any of the Japanese fast food teppanyaki.

However, the best value lies in Mongolian-type grill joints. Forget the all-you-can-eat. Just take their regular deal and it is generally enough food for one person. And that's what I did at Mongo Bongo in New West. I grabbed a bowl and filled it as much food as I could for $8.00. The one thing I liked about this place was the frozen meat. It was flat, not curled up like some of the other Mongolian grills out there. This way, I could put more in the bowl with less wastage of space. In fact, I put so much, I really didn't feel the need to stuff it anymore. As I said, one bowl is more than enough food for one person, especially since rice and soup are included. I really didn't end up eating most of the rice since I got a bunch of noodles and it was carb on carb. Only get the rice if you had loaded up on meat.

So the deal here is to load up on meats (chicken, beef, pork), noodles and veggies. After that, there is an array of sauces and flavourings that you can add to your heart's content. Pass the bowl to the grill master, write down your name, table number and then wait. Once ready, the fresh-off-the-grill plate of food will be served to you. Compared to my last visit to a Mongolian grill (at King Mongolian Grill), Mongo Bongo is considerably cleaner and more modern. There is an ample amount of staff, who are both efficient and friendly. Much like Chinese hot pot, this type of food is not rocket science. It relies heavily on the freshness of the ingredients and the punch of the sauces. In both cases here, it was good. The one tip for those who like their food saltier, just make sure you're not shy with the sauces. Experiment a bit, mix them up and try new combinations each time and if you go for the AYCE option, you can do that in one visit. In addition to the freshness of the ingredients, the final variable is the grill master. To cook different items at the same time at high heat can be challenging; but it worked out pretty good where the veggies were still crisp while meats were cooked all the way through. No complaints.

The Good:
- Ingredients are fresh and the display is well-maintained
- Clean and comfortable digs
- Food was cooked as good as it could be

The Bad:
- I know this is nit-picking, but the soup was far to salty

Wing's Garden

*Restaurant is now closed*

North American Chinese food. We throw that term around quite often; but what is it really? Well, it could mean things like Egg Foo Yung and Fortune Cookies - neither exist in authentic Chinese food. It can also refer to various versions of certain popular dishes such as Sweet & Sour Pork, Chicken Chow Mein and Fried Rice. There are people who would not eat this type of Manchu-Wok food even if it was the only choice. Hey, it's personal preference, I won't argue that. However, I don't mind it sometimes. Naturally, my expectations are altered to fit with the food. Hence, I won't ever compare it to authentic Chinese food. So with that in mind, I paid a visit to a little Chinese restaurant out on 72nd near King George Hwy called Wing's Garden. This is your typical hole-in-the wall Chinese restaurant that serves mostly the locals. Take-out is the dominant choice here since there are only a few tables and the place has the ambiance of a tire shop (and smells like one too).

Again, I was here for the food, not the view. I ended up doing the "combo" thing and went for plate that included Sweet & Sour Pork, Chicken Chow Mein and Pork Fried Rice. The one thing I really liked about the S&S Pork was the lack of radioactive colour. Furthermore, I found the sauce to be well-balanced with a good zing. The pork was crispy and in good sized chunks. The chow mein was naturally the Americanized version; but it was more than acceptable with tender strips of white meat and properly cooked noodles. The fried rice was not bad. It was chewy and a nice caramelized flavour with plenty a good amount of non-fatty BBQ Pork. It could've used a bit more seasoning though. I also got another of their daily specials which was the Singapore Fried Flat Rice Noodles. This was actually a very well-executed dish. The noodles were soft while still being intact and the curry seasoning was bang-on. There was plenty of just tenderized-enough beef as well.

Not satisfied by the sample size of my visit, I returned a couple of weeks later to try a few more dishes. Surprisingly, the Black Bean Fish on Rice was very good. Perfectly fried, the big pieces of Basa were moist and flaky. Furthermore, the black bean sauce was sufficiently savoury without being salty. The only thing I didn't like was the overly hard rice. For my second dish (which I mostly packed up) was the Satay Beef Fried Flat Rice Noodles. Similar to the Singapore rice noodle except with different veggies and sauce, it was mostly good. Once again, the noodles were cooked properly without being too oily as well as the tender beef. However, I found the sauce to be lacking. It was a bit bland being that it was satay. It could've used both a bit more spice and salt. However, this was probably the only dish that could've been better. For such a little hole-in-the-wall, the food is surprisingly good at Wing's. It doesn't hurt that the prices are rock-bottom cheap either. Sure, there is the usual North American Chinese food (which is decent by the way). Yet, the other dishes I tried were very good, freshly made and cheap.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Food is surprisingly good
- Good portions

The Bad:
- Best to get takeout, the dining room smells like the auto shop next door

Mega Sushi

Much like lil' corner grocery stores, there seems to be a small Japanese restaurant in every neighbourhood. Depending on your location, there could be many small Japanese restaurants within one block. In the Lower Mainland, it seems that the majority of Japanese restaurants are not even Japanese-run. Most are Korean or Chinese-run. In fact, one of the most busiest, Samurai Sushi, is run by Vietnamese. For those who are not really picky about their Japanese food, many of these places fit the bill. Of course there are "real" Japanese restaurants to be found; but they are far and few in-between. So for no apparent reason other than to eat at a random small Japanese restaurant, we drove all the way to the end of Austin in Coquitlam to visit Mega Sushi. I'm sure there are those people who will wonder why I drove all the way out here for such an insignificant restaurant. Well, I am attempting to eat everywhere, so certain sacrifices must be made.

We started off with the Assorted Sashimi. Attractively plated and equally fresh, we were surprised with the quality. Not the best sashimi we've ever had; but not bad considering where we were. The salmon was probably the best part. It had a fresh texture and there was a discernible sweetness to it. I liked the tako; however, it could've been sliced just a tad thinner. For our specialty maki, we got the Tuna Tataki Roll. This was essentially a California roll with tuna tataki on top. Seeing how this was practically a full order of tuna tataki, the price tag of $7.95 was very reasonable. We found the sushi rice to be somewhat wet. Not sure if it was the rice itself or the copious amount of sweet chili sauce doused on top. That somewhat ruined what was a good roll. It dominated the flavour profile. However, the tuna tataki itself was prepared very well.

Since the place is Korean-run, we were not surprised to see that the Oyako-Don looking different. It was a messy mix of sprouts, nori, green onion, somewhat cooked egg and chicken. Not authentic; yet tasty nonetheless. Lots of flavour and ingredients eliminated any chances of a scoop of plain rice. By virtue of all the toppings, the whole thing became a bit wet in the end though. Having a lot of things in my oyako-don is one thing; but I am personally not fond of too many ingredients in my Udon. In addition to a mix of veggies, they added tempura bits in the Udon. I have never liked that because it gets soggy and goupy. I like my udon plain with a fish cake or two, that's it. So I was not a huge fan of this. Especially since the broth was predominantly sweet as well. The accompanying Tempura was good tough. The batter was crisp and light despite the visuals. I especially thought the ebi was good since it was meaty and cooked perfectly.

As we were finishing up our meal, the server suddenly presented us with a complimentary order of Wild Sockeye Salmon Sashimi. Were they being nice? Was it my camera? I tried to be as discreet as possible... Whatever the case, the sashimi looked good and it was good. A nice rebound texture and natural sweetness ensured that we would like it. Now if we look at Mega Sushi as a "Japanese" restaurant, there might be some issues considering that both the udon and oyako-don were not typical. So for those authenticity-seekers out there, it's best to move along since this place will only infuriate you more. But if you are not too picky and really don't give a damn about who owns and runs the place, Mega Sushi is a decent neighbourhood Japanese restaurant that offers up more than edible food at a reasonable price. Moreover, we found the service to be attentive and friendly. And that wasn't only for us either.

The Good:
- Reasonably priced
- The sashimi is more than acceptable
- Service is pretty good

The Bad:
- Some items lack authenticity (if that bothers you)
- Not a very big place

So Hot So Pot

Finally. The rain stopped long enough for us to get a softball game in. Too bad I never had the opportunity to break in my new first base glove. You see, I had no choice but to get a specialized glove for the position I play. Our shortstop, Silent Bob, has an arm that can rifle the ball at me which can potentially break a hand. Up until this season, I've been using an infielder's glove and let's just say I'm not going to play with fire anymore. The problem with a new glove that has not been broken in is the stiffness. The chances of me dropping a ball just increased threefold. Of course, to some of my teammates, that is no different than usual. Hey, I can't help it if I got food on my mind. For all I know, the softball being hurled at me resembles a really large takoyaki! So despite a short bench and a couple of dropped balls (on my part), we were able to eek out a win.

With the game out of the way, our focus turned towards food. Seeing how the weather has been rather chilly for May, we decided to utilized the last remaining cold days for hot pot. With our close proximity to Richmond, we headed in that direction searching for a boiling pot of broth. The first thing that came into my mind was So Hot So Pot. Located at the East end of Alexandra along restaurant row, the name elicited many giggles. Yah, the name is easy to ridicule; but honestly, what Chinese restaurant has a "normal" name??? Anyways, as we walked into the place, we were pleasantly surprised how modern and spacious it was. We've had our fair share of hot pot experiences in less-than-clean environments, so this was a plus. We were seated at a spacious round table and quickly ordered our food. Once again, much like every other hot pot joint out there, the broth is an extra charge. Thus, it is really a good idea to go in a big group to split the costs. We decided to get half Chicken Broth and half Satay. The chicken broth was a bit weak while the satay was predominantly peanutty.

Everything pretty much arrived at once, so I was busy snapping photos while everyone had to wait. Boss Woman was impatiently asking if I was "done yet". So if the photos look sub-par... blame her! One of the standards of Chinese hot pot is fatty beef. In this case, it was labeled as Marbled Beef. Whatever the case, beef with fat and sliced thin is usually buttery soft and delicious. In this case, it was good. Another popular items these days is Pork Jowl or cheek. The meat is fatty; yet at the same time, it exhibits a gelatinous-like chew. This was no different here. Then arrived a dish that no one wanted to touch other than Boss Woman and myself. Pictured in this plate of offal was Beef Stomach (honeycomb tripe), Pork Intestine, Beef Tripe (bible tripe), Beef Tendon and Pork Kidney. The 2 types of tripe were prepped correctly so they were easy to chew once cooked. The intestine was pretty much the same except for one really chewy piece. The tendon was also soft and easy to eat while not falling apart either. The kidney was cleaned properly so it didn't exhibit much gaminess.

Next dish consisted of Beef Balls, Cuttlefish Balls, Shrimp Balls, Fish Tofu, Wontons and Chive Dumplings. As with many places these days, all of the meatballs are fresh, not frozen. The good thing about this is that they cooked quicker. The bad thing is they are harder to put into the broth as they stick together and to the plate. We shouldn't complain though, fresh is better than frozen. Mind you, I'm sure some of the raw ingredients were previously frozen anyways... The wontons were pretty much typical pork wontons while the chive dumplings were well-received all around. Something that caught our attention on the menu was the Xiao Long Bao. Nothing special about it really; but we've never boiled XLBs before. Normally, a good XLB has a thin dumpling skin; thus boiling them would result in a disaster. Well, of course these had thicker skin and therefore, they stayed intact. By just looking at them as a regular dumpling, they were actually quite good. The meat had a nice texture and meaty taste.

When the plate of Oysters & Mussels arrived, it drew a reaction. Maybe it is foreshadowing a different type of "reaction" from eating them? Ahem. I'll leave that to your imagination. The actual response was to the size of the oysters. They were really large. Even after cooking, they had not shrunk by much. We were pleased at the freshness of them as well. As for the mussels, they were your typical frozen New Zealand green lip variety. We also got some White Shrimp and these were the imported frozen, then defrosted variety. Nothing wrong with that considering the price we paid. We weren't expecting live spot prawns! There were some other items we had and they were more than acceptable. After all, hot pot is pretty simple - fresh ingredients = good hot pot. The service we received was not bad considering the nearby competition. Everyone left happy and really full.

The Good:
- Spacious and clean
- Service we got was good
- Parking lot actually has space

The Bad:
- Much like any other hot pot joint these days, the price can get up there if you add stuff (like sauces and broth)